Lancashire hotpot

As far as traditional English fare goes Lancashire hotpot never appealed to me. I think for some reason (probably some deep seated childhood trauma involving stringy green beans) I associated it with liver, which I loathe. Even the fondness for 'Betty's 'otpot' at the Rovers Return couldn't tempt me, but the recipe in Just Like Your Mother Made by Tom Norrington-Davies looked tasty and I found out recently the my Dad lived in Alderley Edge when he first came over to England from Ireland as an eight-year-old. Except I then realised that Alderley Edge is, in fact, in Cheshire, but my little sister lives in Manchester, so that will have to do.

Anyhoo, so I thought I'd give it a go and it was, if I say so myself, a triumph. It's the perfect recipe - a doddle to make and tastes a-ma-zing! In fact, my husband has just got back from work and is yum-yuming his way through his dinner as I type. Actually saying it was a doddle would be accurate if I'd been sensible and read the recipe properly. It uses lamb neck or shoulder, so I duly ordered lamb shoulder online with my Tesco order and forgot to make sure it was boned. So there I was early this afternoon trying to winkle off as much meat as I could. I was tempted to go to Tesco and buy some more lamb, I was also tempted to wrap it back up, shove it in the fridge and roast a chicken. But no, I persevered, stripped that shoulder bare and carried on.

Like yesterday's beef with stout it was didn't have many ingredients (lamb, onion, thyme, bay leaf, a dash of worcestershire sauce) but certainly didn't suffer from that. When it was cooked the potatoes were soft and creamy and the lamb was deliciously tender. Even Betty ate it! Definitely one to have again... and again... and again.

Beef with stout and dumplings

I love comfort food, and I especially love casseroles and stews. I love the idea of them bubbling away getting more delicious as the minutes pass. So I couldn't really resist the recipe from Just Like Mother Used To Make by Tom Norrington-Davies, especially as it meant I would have to make dumplings for the first time. (I say the first time, but I have actually made dumplings before. However, it was a Weight Watchers recipe and they tasted revolting. Talking to my husband tonight we wondered whether there was any point in making WeightWatchers dumplings. Surely if you're trying to lose weight you just cut something like that out?)

Anyhoo, the stew was simple to make, using few basic ingredients (stewing steak, onions, carrots, and stout), but with plenty of little extras to season it, including bay leaves, tomato puree and a teaspoon of cocoa powder. If I make it again I'll probably use less liquid (it took a pint of stout and a pint of water) and add more veg, but they're minor quibbles.

And the verdict? Betty turned her nose up at it (I daresay being awake since 4.30 this morning had something to do with that) but Henry wolfed it down. The dumplings were a big success and Henry even asked for more, having poked them a few times beforehand and asking what they were. Sadly my husband and I weren't that keen to share.